Creating and Editing
MPEG1 Files
with the MPEGator

Under Construction!

Basic Process

1. Capture video to clip file
2. Edit videoclip to remove unnecessary content at beginning and end
3. Verify playback quality with system video player
4. Save to CD-ROM and/or Webserver for backup and archiving

Before you Start

1. Create a new folder on the D: drive of the capture station for your clips.
2. Add a shortcut to the M-Coder program to this folder.
3. Add a shortcut to this folder to the capture station desktop
4. Think up a naming scheme for your files which follows these rules:
   • Choose a name that identifies your video uniquely (i.e. not just "videoclip.mpg" but "Viaje_a_Buenos_Aires.mpg")
   • It is good practice to use long expressive names and capital letters, but be consistent on usage within a series of clips (e.g. always capitalize the same words; Windows ignores capitalization, but the Webserver cannot retrieve a file without the exact capitalization; an inconsistent scheme makes it more difficult to create a link page to the clips, a guarantee of future grief).
   • Avoid spaces in names (our Webserver cannot handle them); use dash or underscore instead, or else identify separate words with capital letters (e.g. "ViajeaBuenosAires.mpg"
   • If you wish to use numbers in your names, put them at the beginning, not the end of your clip name, to ensure they will show up on directory lists (very long names are often displayed with the end truncated). Determine what the highest number of digits will be and "pad" numbers with fewer digits.
     01Viaje_a_Buenos_Aires.mpg ...
     24Viaje_a_Buenos_Aires.mpg
5. Keep a log with at least this information on each clip digitized, and store it along with the original tapes in our digital "vault" :
   • Purpose of clip (course, target audience)
   • Means of distribution (Web, CD-ROM etc.)
   • Where archived (name of CD-ROM or Web directory)
   • Location of original
   • Source of copyright permission (subscription or other agreement, personal or government-produced video, fair use etc.)
   • Date digitized
   • Source information, including all markings on tape, RTC (real-time counter -- reset to 0:00 at first video on tape) reading
   • Person performing capture

   Remember: Standards are always subject to change. Future improvements or new hardware standards may make it desirable or necessary to recapture your clips. Access to the original video and accurate records are essential to future-proof your work.

Relevant Windows 9x Principles

To use MPEGator, you must be familiar with basic Windows conventions and operations, as well as the use of the audio and video equipment for reproducing the original video. Understanding the following Windows 95 principles will make your learning of the MPEGator system less frustrating:

• To move a window, click on its title bar (top of window -- avoid the control boxes in the corners), hold the mouse button down, move the mouse until the window is in the desired position, then release the mouse button.
• Many commands have keyboard shortcuts, which are shown on the drop-down menus. Particularly helpful while coordinating several devices, such as tape "Play" button and computer "Capture" function, when it may be difficult to use the mouse.
  • Menu bar shortcuts are indicated by an underlined letter on the menu, which means "Hold down the Alt-key, then press the underlined letter", e.g. File means enter Alt-F to activate the File Menu. (For subsequent levels "below" the top-level menu bar, it is irrelevant whether you continue holding down the Alt-key.) A convention to show the series of Alt-key menu shortcuts is: Alt-F > N > M, which means "Hold down the Alt-key and press the F-key, followed by the N-key, then the M-key (Shift-key unnecessary).
  • "Speed-key" shortcuts typically involve the Control or Function keys, and are shown after the menu entry. Many speed-keys are the same for almost all Win95 applications, such as :

    Ctrl-C	Copy Selected Text or Object to Clipboard
    Ctrl-V	Paste Text or Object from Clipboard
    Ctrl-Z	Undo last action
    Ctrl-S	Save
    Ctrl-P	Print
    F1	Help
    Alt-F4	Exit

  • The default button in a dialog box (like the "Ok" button), recognizable by a dotted line around its caption, can be "clicked" by pressing Enter or Space Bar.
• Click on a window's title bar to activate it to receive keystrokes for shortcut keys (note change of titlebar color when the window is activated).

Launching the MPEGator control program

Double-click on the M-Coder icon to launch it

• Double-click on the triangular M-Coder program icon. This application encompasses the Capture, Playback / Edit, and M-Filter functionality.
• If the appropriate controls for the desired operation are not shown (see images below), click on the corresponding button in the group of 3 at the lower-right of the controls to switch modes (Capture: middle button; Playback / Edit: left button).

Capture

Warning
MPEGATOR "remembers" the last filename and last directory used for each of its major functions (Capture, Playback, Edit). Avoid confusion and destruction by always specifying a New filename before capture. When playing back and editing clips, make that MPEGATOR is looking in the proper directory before you despair about lost clips.

Capture Mode

1. Verify that you are in capture mode (see capture mode control in image). If not, click the middle button on the lower right-hand of the controls.
2. Start a new capture file by clicking menu bar File > New > Mpeg (or shortcut keys Alt-F > N > M). Make sure you are in the proper folder, then enter an appropriate filename.

   Start New Clip File

1. Bring up Preview window if necessary (see image above for button to open it) and position it so it does not overlap the controls.
   Tip: All buttons have "Tool Tips", which describe their function if you hover the mouse pointer over them for a second or two.
2. Start the video source tape or disc playing and select the appropriate input on the switch box. Verify that your video is visible and audio audible. Reset counter on tape or videodisc player to 0:00 if necessary.
3. Bring up Option window (see image for button) to set video, audio, and capture parameters. Click on tab for appropriate property pages as follows:
4. Capture sample clip and view it to verify performance (if the total clip is very short, you may wish to skip this step).
   • Rewind video tape to at least 1 second before the point to begin capture.
   • Click Capture button on the computer, marked with a red oval, and the Play button on the video source.
   • Verify the status displays to see that few if any frames are being dropped and that filesize does not exceed about 10 MB / minute.
   • To stop capture, click the Stop button, marked with a black square.
5. Switch to Play / Edit window (see mode switch button above) and play back your sample clip to determine ifthere is sufficient contrast, if extremely dark or light scenes came out all right, and if the audio is good.
6. Adjust capture options until satisfied with the sample clip, then capture the entire clip.
7. Edit the clip to eliminate excess lead-in / lead-out.
8. Archive to CD-ROM and publish to web if required.

Playback / Edit Controls

EDITED BY: AssocProf William H. Fletcher, Language Studies Dept., US Naval Academy
REVISION: 24 Novmber 98
URL: http://www.usna.navy.mil/LangStudy/Mpegator.html